Over the past month, thousands of dollars have been spent to
replace more than 30 exit signs in the Courtside Residential Plaza
due to recurring vandalism, and residents may be held responsible
for damages.
On Feb. 14, 14 exit sign fixtures were found to have been
smashed or stolen. Since the damage of an exit sign poses as a
“life safety issue” and is a violation of California
fire code, the fixtures were replaced immediately.
The following day, another 10 exit sign fixtures had been
smashed or stolen and were again quickly replaced.
For two weeks, no other acts of vandalism were reported. But, on
March 1, another 11 exit sign fixtures were vandalized.
Alfred Nam, the associate director of rooms for UCLA Housing,
said some exit signs were stolen just 90 minutes after being
replaced.
“We continue to replace them and we are looking to find
something more permanent,” Nam said.
Housing faces some obstacles when looking for an alternative to
the current hanging exit signs because they must meet fire codes,
be approved by building architects, and match the voltage of the
current signs.
The cost of replacing each sign is $270. The university has
incurred an expense of approximately $10,000 to replace the
signs.
Since no witnesses have come forth, those guilty of vandalizing
the signs have not been found and therefore cannot incur the
expense of replacing them, and it is possible that students living
in Courtside may be billed for the damage, as is stated in the
on-campus housing contract.
Jack Gibbons, the associate director of the Office of
Residential Life, said maintenance repairs damages as they occur.
And since the entire maintenance budget is created by taking a
portion of the housing payments that residents pay, students are
ultimately paying for the damages.
“Occasionally, housing exercises the contract option to
bill a specific community for specific damage. But, no decision has
been made to do that regarding the (exit sign) damage,”
Gibbons said.
Section 6a of the on-campus housing contract states that
“in the event the cause of any loss or damage to the facility
or its fixtures … cannot be determined after reasonable
investigation by the University, the cost of such loss or damage
shall be charged pro rata to each Student regardless of whether
such Student was present at the time such loss or damage
occurred.” A letter dated March 2 was sent out to the
residents of Courtside regarding the recent problem with
vandalism.
In the letter, Resident Director of Courtside Maria Blandizzi
informed the Courtside community of how the acts of vandalism are
in violation of University Housing policies. Blandizzi encouraged
residents to take care of their Courtside home and warned that if
the vandalism were to continue, the entire community could be held
responsible for the damages to the facility.
Nam said this is the first time exit signs have been vandalized
and that the incidents appear to be isolated within the Courtside
community.